Automatic, pyrotechic fire extinguisher
Patent 7172031 Issued on February 6, 2007. Estimated Expiration Date: 
December 19, 2020. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
December 19, 2020. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent References 3833063 Automatic stove top fire extinguisher Fire protection system Fast discharge fire extinguisher and a method of fabricating same Wire-sensored residential range hood fire extinguisher system Anti-fire system for vehicles Liquid pyrotechnic fire extinguishing composition producing a large amount of water vapor Fire extinguishing system Fire extinguishing system for automotive vehicles Inflator based fire suppression system InventorApplicationNo. 10168573 filed on 12/19/2000US Classes:169/9, Gas-pressure discharge169/56, Condition responsive control169/28, Explosive169/65, For cooking installation169/57, Having fusible plug, support, or holder307/117, Light, heat, vibratory or radiant energy169/62, For vehicles169/46, Of extinguishing fire169/61, Electrical control169/6, Chemical pressure generating102/530JACKETED OR CARTRIDGE GAS GENERATORExaminersPrimary: Mancene, GeneAssistant: Bui, Thach H. Attorney, Agent or FirmForeign Patent References
International ClassA62C 35/00DescriptionBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Patents EP 1013308 A, JP62-234766 A and DE 2701935 A provide a pyrotechnic charge to break a membrane and to release an extinguishing agent under pressure. Patent EP 1013308 A is manually operated and must be placed outside the compartment to beprotected against fire. Patent JP 62-234766 A has a punctiform sensor on the head of the fire extinguisher that should be reached by fire to be activated so that it must be placed inside the compartment to be protected against fire. Patent DE 2701935 Ahas no automatic control device. These patents provide the expansion of the gas developed by the pyrotechnic charge in a chamber that once pressurized causes the punch to move against a membrane. None of these patents is able to detect and toextinguish a fire that develops in any point of the compartment to be protected against fire as there is not provided any suitable sensor to control the space. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The state of the art in this field provides manual fire extinguishers and automatic installations. The extinguishers may be of several types: dust-, CO2-, foam-, halons-extinguishers and the like. They may be pressurized or have a CO2or nitrogen bottle, but they always are operated manually. A particular type of fire extinguishers carries a sprinkler head instead of a valve assembly which explodes at a given temperature and opens the orifice from which the extinguishing substanceflows out. Such a type of fire extinguisher cannot be remote controlled by any push button and/or switch and has to be installed directly in the apparatus to be protected. The automatic fire extinguishing installations consist of a sensor device and an extinguishing device. The fire is sensed by field sensors connected to a sensing and extinguishing central installation. The automatic fire extinguisher of the present invention is located in the middle between the manual fire extinguisher and the automatic fire extinguishing installation and is absolutely new. It is easy to be operated like the manualextinguishers and has the advantages of the known automatic fire-extinguishing installations. The fire extinguisher in accordance with the present invention, which is provided for car compartments, boats, electrical, electronic, mechanical, oleodynamic or thermal apparatus in cabinets and/or closed rooms, is automatically manuallyactivated and can be placed inside or outside the compartment to be protected against fire. The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together withadditional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an automatic, pyrotechnic fire extinguisher in accordance with the invention; and FIG. 2 is a wiring diagram of the inventive extinguisher. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention relates to an extinguishing means, which is actuated automatically by means of a thermosensitive cable without any fire-fighting central device. The automatic, pyrotechnic fire extinguisher of the present invention (Tab. 1/2) consists of a cell box (1) containing the extinguishing substance, a valve assembly (2), a pyrotechnic charge, a bottle of liquid carbon dioxide (3), a hose (4) for supplying the extinguishing substance, a nozzle (5), two small pipes (6) and (7)within the cell box, a thermosensitive cable (8) operating as a heat sensor and having a plurality of wires, a manually controlled electrical push button (9), and a percussion pin switch (10). The valve assembly consists of: a cylindrical threaded body (11) which is screwed to the cell box; a bottle holder (12); a percussion pin (13); a plug (14) which closes the chamber (15) acting as mortar in which the pyrotechnic charge isreceived. In case of fire, when the pyrotechnic charge is electrically energized by the thermosensitive cable (8), it explodes and causes the percussion pin to perforate the diaphragm of the carbon dioxide bottle (3). The propellant contained in thebottle enters the cell box (1) and pressurizes the extinguishing substance causing the same to flow out under pressure. At the same time, CO2 flows into pipes (6) and (7). The portion of CO2 flowing through pipe (6) causes the extinguishingsubstance to swirl, while the portion flowing through pipe (7) is discharged directly to the hose where it mixes in a swirling way with the flow of the extinguishing substance. Pipe (7) is basic for the foaming. The fire extinguisher (Tab. 2/2) may be controlled: 1) manually, by an electric push button (16) located, for example, in the interior compartment of an automotive vehicle near the driver; 2) automatically, in case of fire, by the action of theheat that shorts the thermosensitive cable (8) located above the area to be protected; e.g., in case of an automotive vehicle the cable is located under the hood panel; 3) automatically, in case of front impact, by the action of the percussion pin switch(10) located between bumper and engine. The fire extinguisher may be located within the engine compartment in a vertical or horizontal position or within another room available in the automotive vehicle or the apparatus to be protected. By way of illustration, in operation, in thecase of a vehicle compartment or a room, preferably the wires of the thermosensitive cable sensor (8) are laid entirely over the room or compartment to be protected against fire, such that thermosensitive cable sensor is short-circuited whenever heat ofa fire contacts any location of the room or compartment, thereby lighting directly a pyrotechnic charge to operate the extinguishing means. The automatic fire extinguisher can protect automotive vehicles, boats, electrical, electronic, thermal, oleodynamic apparatus, generating sets etc., and is particularly suitable for unmanned apparatus and rooms. * * * * * |
